Archos 5.. Close.. Real Close

I’ve been demoing an Archos 5 Internet Tablet for a little over a week now and overall I’m impressed. Archos, known for their media players, stepped into the Internet Tablet arena a short while back. I originally tested an Archos 5 back in March when I actually purchased one from a local Best Buy Mobile and abruptly brought it back to the store, why because as most of you know Thedroidguy actually uses mac for computing only and the Archos 5 out of the box was not compatible with my macbook running Snow Leopard. While waiting on the Archos 7 demo my contact at Archos suggested I spend a little more time with the Archos 5. I am glad that they did. Out of the Android Tablets I’ve tested (Archos 5, Eken 001 and 002 dubbed Apad) The Archos 5 feels the sturdiest, it’s well built. Although not “Capactive” as my Android Superphones are, the 800×480 at 4.8 inch TFT/LCD Display is soft on the eyes and doesn’t cause me to get drowsy like some other more cheap displays. The touchscreen seemed a little latent at first but after a calibration seemed way more on point. I downloaded a few seasons of the Wire to the Archos 5 and watched a number of episodes comfortably, without fatigue. This is big for me because I want a tablet to use everyday and even considered an ipad (trying to justify it was a computer and not a mobile device but the iphone OS kind of screws that idea) . I need the tablet because I travel all the time for my main business as well as thedroidguy.com I want a big enough screen to catch up on TV old and new, and I also want to be able to take notes, draft documents, check email etc without taking out my laptop and for longer periods of time than I would any of the 4 android phones I carry regularly. Audio/Video basically all forms media the Archos 5 is inline with the rest of their media player line. If you’re not already strapped into the I-tunes eco-system you may really want to consider an Archos media player. Even if you are in the I-tunes eco-system Double Twist makes it pretty easy to use your Itunes libraries with the Archos line. As with all tablets currently on the market, STOCK out of the box the Archos 5 does not ship with the ability to go to the Android Market we are used to. This is an Android thing not specifically tied to Archos. Although they have quite a few apps in their store, the abscense of some of the Apps I use on a regular basis, for example Seesmic, are not available to the Archos 5 or any other tablet available right now. Archos is growing, they already have the Archos 7 and they have the Archos 9, a windows based tablet, available now. I’m curious to see how some of the other newer tablets stack up but right Now Archos 5 is the closest Ive come to an “Ipad Killer”

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http://www.blogger.com/profile/03528635639581171915 Tedd Fox

I have too played with the Archos 5, and the Kamangi WebStation and length. Two things… all-in-all the only peeve I have with these are the Markets for each device. They do not go to the Android Market, but their "roll your own" kinds that are hard to navigate, do not have any selection of apps that would appeal to a real consumer. Most consumers do not want to manually download an app, transfer it to the SD card, enable 3rd party apps to be installed, etc….

http://www.blogger.com/profile/03528635639581171915 Tedd Fox

I have too played with the Archos 5, and the Kamangi WebStation and length. Two things… all-in-all the only peeve I have with these are the Markets for each device. They do not go to the Android Market, but their "roll your own" kinds that are hard to navigate, do not have any selection of apps that would appeal to a real consumer. Most consumers do not want to manually download an app, transfer it to the SD card, enable 3rd party apps to be installed, etc….

http://www.blogger.com/profile/03528635639581171915 Tedd Fox

I have too played with the Archos 5, and the Kamangi WebStation and length. Two things… all-in-all the only peeve I have with these are the Markets for each device. They do not go to the Android Market, but their "roll your own" kinds that are hard to navigate, do not have any selection of apps that would appeal to a real consumer. Most consumers do not want to manually download an app, transfer it to the SD card, enable 3rd party apps to be installed, etc….

http://www.blogger.com/profile/11643472785030743960 Sheila

I've had my Archos 5IT since last fall (32gigSD). I love it. It's simple enough to install the Google Market hack and away you go. No complaints here EXCEPT… we want Adobe to hurry up with their Flash version for us. Then it will be PERFECT.

http://www.blogger.com/profile/11643472785030743960 Sheila

I've had my Archos 5IT since last fall (32gigSD). I love it. It's simple enough to install the Google Market hack and away you go. No complaints here EXCEPT… we want Adobe to hurry up with their Flash version for us. Then it will be PERFECT.

http://www.blogger.com/profile/11643472785030743960 Sheila

I've had my Archos 5IT since last fall (32gigSD). I love it. It's simple enough to install the Google Market hack and away you go. No complaints here EXCEPT… we want Adobe to hurry up with their Flash version for us. Then it will be PERFECT.